diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/control.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/control.rs
index d770df9c..547cdeb4 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/control.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/control.rs
@@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ pub fn handle(app: &mut FilmcraftApp, ctx: &egui::Context, req: &ControlRequest)
         "ui.inspect" => ok(inspect(app, ctx)),
         "perf.stats" => ok(crate::perf::stats(app)),
         "ui.elements" => {
+            if app.timeline_still < 2 {
+                // rects of timeline elements are still moving (e.g. the fit after opening a sequence)
+                return Outcome::Retry("the timeline is still zooming".into());
+            }
             let prefix = s("prefix").unwrap_or("");
             ok(serde_json::to_value(app.auto.query(prefix)).unwrap_or_default())
         }
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs
index 5091cd74..2076ae12 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs
@@ -129,6 +129,9 @@ pub struct Playback {
 
 /// How long `ui.screenshot` waits for the window to present the frame.
 const SCREENSHOT_TIMEOUT_S: f64 = 10.0;
+/// How long `ui.screenshot` waits for the UI to settle (monitors showing their exact frames, the
+/// timeline zoom animation finished) before capturing what is there.
+const SCREENSHOT_SETTLE_MAX_S: f64 = 5.0;
 
 pub struct FilmcraftApp {
     pub session: Session,
@@ -155,6 +158,12 @@ pub struct FilmcraftApp {
     /// Screenshots waiting for their frame: (token, path, crop, reply, give-up time).
     pending_screenshots: Vec<(u64, Option<String>, Option<[f32; 4]>, Sender<Value>, f64)>,
     queued_screenshots: Vec<(u64, f64, u32)>,
+    /// A paused monitor drew a stand-in (nearest cached) picture last frame: its exact frame is
+    /// still decoding.
+    pub(crate) monitor_inexact: bool,
+    /// Consecutive frames the timeline zoom / scroll has been at rest. `ui.elements` answers from
+    /// the frame before the last one, so its timeline rects are final from 2 on.
+    pub(crate) timeline_still: u32,
     input_waiters: Vec<Sender<Value>>,
     next_token: u64,
     styled: bool,
@@ -336,6 +345,8 @@ impl FilmcraftApp {
             status_seen: (String::new(), 0.0),
             pending_screenshots: Vec::new(),
             queued_screenshots: Vec::new(),
+            monitor_inexact: false,
+            timeline_still: 0,
             input_waiters: Vec::new(),
             next_token: 1,
             styled: false,
@@ -929,13 +940,16 @@ impl FilmcraftApp {
         self.control_rx = Some(rx);
     }
 
-    fn issue_screenshots(&mut self, ctx: &egui::Context) {
+    /// Capture once the UI shows the current state (`settled`): after a seek the monitor shows the
+    /// nearest cached picture until the exact frame is decoded, and an agent must not be handed
+    /// the stand-in.
+    fn issue_screenshots(&mut self, ctx: &egui::Context, settled: bool) {
         let now = ctx.input(|i| i.time);
         let mut any = false;
         self.queued_screenshots.retain_mut(|(token, at, frames)| {
             *frames += 1;
             any = true;
-            if now >= *at && *frames >= 3 {
+            if now >= *at && *frames >= 3 && (settled || now >= *at + SCREENSHOT_SETTLE_MAX_S) {
                 ctx.send_viewport_cmd(egui::ViewportCommand::Screenshot(egui::UserData::new(*token)));
                 false
             } else {
@@ -1234,6 +1248,7 @@ impl eframe::App for FilmcraftApp {
             // Nothing is shown while the window is hidden: not a dropped frame.
             self.playback.hidden = true;
         }
+        self.timeline_still = if self.ui.timeline.animating() { 0 } else { self.timeline_still.saturating_add(1) };
         let had_synthetic = !self.synthetic.is_empty();
         self.drain_control(ctx);
         if !self.synthetic.is_empty() && !had_synthetic {
@@ -1248,7 +1263,8 @@ impl eframe::App for FilmcraftApp {
                 let _ = w.send(json!({"ok": true, "result": null}));
             }
         }
-        self.issue_screenshots(ctx);
+        let settled = !std::mem::take(&mut self.monitor_inexact) && self.timeline_still > 0;
+        self.issue_screenshots(ctx, settled);
         self.collect_screenshots(ctx);
     }
 
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/monitor.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/monitor.rs
index 2aed8ac5..9bb98721 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/monitor.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/monitor.rs
@@ -183,6 +183,9 @@ pub fn show(app: &mut FilmcraftApp, ui: &mut egui::Ui, rect: Rect, which: Which)
         } else {
             cpu_texture(app, &ctx, &tex_name, key, display)
         };
+        if !playing && !exact {
+            app.monitor_inexact = true;
+        }
         if playing {
             if std::mem::take(&mut app.playback.hidden) {
                 app.playback.meter.resync(frame, exact);
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/state.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/state.rs
index 401e6cc0..7a5f001a 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/state.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/state.rs
@@ -200,6 +200,13 @@ pub struct TimelineView {
     pub track_lanes: std::collections::BTreeMap<u64, String>,
 }
 
+impl TimelineView {
+    /// The zoom / scroll animation is still running (element rects are moving).
+    pub fn animating(&self) -> bool {
+        self.pps != self.target_pps || self.scroll != self.target_scroll
+    }
+}
+
 impl Default for TimelineView {
     fn default() -> Self {
         Self {
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/tests/view_ui.rs b/crates/ui-egui/tests/view_ui.rs
index 1e063cf3..2b73bd05 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/tests/view_ui.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/tests/view_ui.rs
@@ -313,3 +313,50 @@ fn snap_in_program_monitor_and_graphics_menu() {
     assert_eq!(shortcut, "Cmd+Shift+]");
     d.shot("graphics-menu");
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn elements_wait_for_the_timeline_zoom_to_settle() {
+    let mut d = Driver::demo();
+    let project = d.exec("project.inspect", json!({}));
+    let item = first_media_item(&project).expect("a movie in the demo project");
+    // opening a sequence fits the timeline with an animated zoom: rects read right away must
+    // already be the final ones
+    d.exec("file.newSequence", json!({"name": "Zoom", "fromItem": item}));
+    let clip = d.exec("sequence.inspect", json!({}))["video"][0]["items"][0]["clip"].as_u64().expect("clip");
+    let id = format!("timeline.clip.{clip}");
+    let first = d.rect(&id);
+    d.frames(120);
+    let settled = d.rect(&id);
+    for k in 0..4 {
+        assert!((first[k] - settled[k]).abs() < 0.5, "rect read while zooming {first:?}, settled {settled:?}");
+    }
+}
+
+/// Frames until `ui.elements` answers (it retries while the timeline is still zooming).
+fn elements_latency(d: &mut Driver) -> usize {
+    let (req, reply) = ControlRequest::new("ui.elements", json!({"prefix": "timeline."}));
+    d.tx.send(req).unwrap();
+    for n in 1..=600 {
+        d.frames(1);
+        if let Ok(v) = reply.try_recv() {
+            assert_eq!(v["ok"], true, "{v}");
+            return n;
+        }
+    }
+    panic!("ui.elements never answered");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn elements_answer_promptly_once_the_timeline_is_at_rest() {
+    let mut d = Driver::demo();
+    d.frames(120);
+    // a timeline at rest must not keep `ui.elements` waiting (the animation snaps to its target)
+    assert!(elements_latency(&mut d) <= 3);
+    for pps in [40.0, 400.0, 7.5] {
+        d.ok("ui.set", json!({"timeline": {"pps": pps}}));
+        d.ok("ui.set", json!({"timeline": {"scroll": 1.5}}));
+        d.frames(120);
+        let n = elements_latency(&mut d);
+        assert!(n <= 3, "ui.elements took {n} frames at rest after zooming to {pps} px/s");
+    }
+}